by Brant Burkey, MS '97

During the Sept. 19 dedication of the new John L. Hulteng Student Services Center, Elizabeth "B.J." Hulteng also announced that the Hulteng family has made a $1.5-million pledge to endow a chair in media ethics and responsibility in honor of her late husband.

"John put ethics into anything he taught, so it's natural that we would honor him this way. He believed in ethical responsibility so strongly that he made a career of teaching it," said B.J. Hulteng, who lives in Spokane, Wash. "It was my children's idea to contribute to something he felt strongly about."

Joining her at the dedication were her children, Robert Hulteng of San Francisco, Richard Hulteng of Tualatin and Karen Enich of Minnetonka, Minn.; son-in-law Peter Enich; and grandchildren MacKenzie, Kelton and Ryley Enich.

Hulteng received his master's degree from Columbia University and received a Nieman Fellowship at Harvard. He became a member of the University of Oregon journalism faculty in 1955 and served as dean of the School from 1962-1969 and from 1975-1977.

In 1969, Hulteng was the first member of the journalism faculty to win the University's prestigious Ersted Award for Distinguished Teaching. He left the University of Oregon to go to Stanford in 1977, returning in 1981 to deliver the School's annual Ruhl Lecture. He retired in 1986.

Hulteng, whose professional career included serving as the chief editorial writer for The Providence Journal and Bulletin in Rhode Island, authored several books dealing with the subject of media ethics and responsibility. His 1976 book, The Messenger's Motives, was a landmark case book and has since become a standard in the field.

In the book, he wrote, "It may well be that if journalism loses touch with ethical values, it will at the same moment cease to be of use to society, and cease to have any real reason for being. But that, for the sake of us, must never be allowed to happen. And, for my part, I am confident that it never will." The book was revised in 1986, with more than 60 cases added.

"The American Society of Newspaper Editors (ASNE) approached him to create a handbook on the principles of ethical responsibility, Playing it Straight, which was later adopted and used in newsrooms around the country," said B.J. Hulteng. "But he was concerned with these same issues in broadcasting and other media, not just print media."

For most of us, these issues might seem more relevant in light of recent news events and highlights. But, according to Hulteng, members of the media have always had to face such concerns. The fact that media ethics are currently garnering more attention is purely coincidental.

The John L. Hulteng Chair of Media Ethics and Responsibility is the School's fifth endowed professorship.

"The person named to this chair will play a leading role in the teaching and research about professional ethics," said Dean Tim Gleason.

"The Hulteng chair is well-suited for the School, where the teaching of professional ethics has always been a central component."

B. J. Hulteng believes that the principles of ethical responsibility are put to the test every day. She feels that by establishing this endowed chair, such issues can be addressed where students will find it most useful -- before they have to make tough choices on the job.